Battery-run rickshaw drivers clash with locals over ban in Banani, quelled by army
DNCC has banned both motorised and pedal rickshaws on the main roads in the Gulshan and Banani areas
Bangladesh Army personnel have removed all protesting battery-run rickshaw drivers from the Banani-11 bridge area in Dhaka following a clash with locals.
The drivers had blocked the Banani-11 road earlier today (21 April) in protest against a ban on their vehicles on Gulshan and Banani roads.
Talking to The Business Standard, Banani Police Station Inspector Mehedi Hasan said, "People from Gulshan Society came to Banani today and stopped battery-run rickshaw drivers. This created a lot of tension among the drivers."
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"The drivers said that there was no ban on them in the Banani area, so why would people from Gulshan Society come here to stop them? An argument broke out between the groups over this," he added.
Videos showed men taking positions on different Gulshan roads and attacking any battery-run rickshaws plying the roads. The agitating crowd were also seen attacking police members who were trying to remove them from the road.
Another video also showed the drivers beating a motorcycle rider as he tried to get away from the scene.
The agitating battery-run rickshaw drivers also threw two pedal rickshaws, which are allowed to ply the roads in the Gulshan and Banani areas, from the bridge into the Gulshan Lake, according to Banani police sources.
Inspector Mehedi also said the batter-run rickshaw drivers attacked whenever they saw pedal rickshaws. "They even tried to vandalise a pedal rickshaw in front of us [police], but we managed to move them away."
The agitators also chased or beat several people who tried to take photos or videos of their protest and vandalism, said the police officer.
However, after a couple of hours of unrest, the drivers dispersed from the area when the army arrived at the scene and gave the protesters three minutes to leave the roads.
Nayon Sorkar, a pedestrian who was present there, shared photos and wrote on Facebook this afternoon, "The army arrived and gave a 3-minute ultimatum; within 3 seconds, the auto-rickshaw drivers agreed; within 30 seconds, the gate was opened and the blockade was removed. The road is now clear."
He said, "An army officer said [addressing the drivers], 'Submit your demands in writing. Your representatives may stay, but the rest must clear the road within 3 minutes."
Mofizul Islam, the deputy commissioner for traffic of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Gulshan Division, said the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and the Gulshan Society recently decided to ban battery-run rickshaws on Gulshan roads. This led to the protest by the drivers.
The ban by DNCC came into effect on 19 April. The battery-run rickshaw drivers have been protesting the move since then.
At the time, talking to TBS, DNCC Zonal Executive Officer (Zone-3) Nahid Ul Mostaque clarified that both motorised and pedal rickshaws are prohibited on the main roads of Dhaka North.
"The system in which rickshaws were allowed to ply on the streets with identity cards issued by Gulshan and Banani Societies is now obsolete. We are working on issuing rickshaw licences. The matter is under consideration by the ministry.
"We have been conducting a drive against illegal rickshaws and rickshaws that operate illegally for a few days now," he said.
Earlier, DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz stated that in addition to setting up effective trappers, drives will be conducted to remove battery-powered rickshaws from the main roads.
The Chamber Court of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division issued a status quo on a High Court order banning battery-run rickshaws from operating on Dhaka roads in November last year.
The ban came following complaints of traffic rules violations and growing accidents involving such rickshaws. However, drivers and owners of the motorised three-wheelers vehemently protested the ban, before the apex court halted the ban.
Approximately 12 lakh rickshaws currently operate in Dhaka, with a significant portion being battery-powered now, as many old pedal rickshaws are being converted to motorised three-wheelers through different unregulated modifications to the vehicle.
